Collingwood coaching race: How Don Pyke can transform the Pies as senior coach
He’s one of the favourites for the Collingwood job and is the Magpies want to bring sexy back, Don Pyke is the man to deliver it.
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Collingwood’s search for Nathan Buckley’s successor is zeroing in on the savvy businessman who has credits both in the boardroom and the coaches’ box.
Former Adelaide coach Don Pyke is the super calm professional dressed sharply in a suit and tie, but it is his knack of extracting maximum flair and generating sexy football which has him as the perfect match for the Magpies.
The Pies bedded down a rock-solid defence under Buckley, but they have failed to add offensive layers and have scored more than 100 points just once from their past 41 games.
Pyke joined the Crows when they lost the game’s No.1 player in Patrick Dangerfield (2016) and they averaged 112.8 points per match that year, which remains Adelaide’s most lethal scoring season this century.
There is a feeling that if Pyke gets his hands on the likes of Jordan De Goey and Jamie Elliott he could transform the Magpies into a must-watch team once again.
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Collingwood football director Paul Licuria is on the five-man panel making the appointment and has said they will choose the right man for what their group needs.
Pyke’s 2016-17 record at the Crows was exemplary, although their worst day came in the 2017 grand final.
While Adelaide imploded after the camp disaster as Pyke walked away with two years remaining on his contract in 2019, his coaching nous remains first-class and his winning record of 60.8 per cent remains No.1 at the Crows.
Former Crow Sam Jacobs said their eye-popping potency was fueled by Pyke powering players with confidence.
“Without talking Xs and Os he just gave you belief,” Jacobs told News Corp.
“I thought he was a really balanced coach. Our game was still built off defence, but at the same time he enabled us to play with that natural flair, which a lot of guys flourished under.
“We had a really settled team and there were a lot of guys through that period who played the best footy they have throughout their career.”
Jacobs’ older brother Aaron died from an illness in 2017 and the ruckman said Pyke’s genuine care was warming.
“He was certainly good at finding that balance of challenge and care,” Jacobs said.
“He got to know all our families really well and what made us tick and he was really diligent in his preparation.
“I think he was one of the most prepared coaches I played under, in terms of his knowledge of the opposition and how we wanted to play.”
Source: Champion Data
Sydney targeted Pyke this year in the wake of Covid cost cuts because his versatility across football and business suited the heightened focus on versatility.
Suddenly, the Swans are the best ball movement team in the AFL and have stormed into premiership calculations in their first season with Pyke in the box.
Sportsbet has wound Pyke into $1.50 favourite because he has received 90 per cent of cash since Wednesday.
News Corp revealed last month that Michael Voss was high on Collingwood’s list while former North Melbourne coach Brad Scott is also in sight.
A decision is likely to be made in September although some at the Swans suspect it will be Pyke in charge come round 1 next season.
Pyke — the American-born 52-year-old who played in four premierships (two AFL, two WAFL) — would be a change of pace from Buckley.
In 2015 lifelong Magpies fan Paul Seedsman asked for a trade to the Crows because he didn’t see eye to eye with Buckley.
“He’s very measured,” Seedsman said of Pyke before the 2017 grand final.
“He doesn’t get all that flustered and he’s very calm. (Buckley) was a bit different. He was very intense and at times we saw things differently.”
How Pies gun is proving recruiter wrong
— Jay Clark
Collingwood playmaker Jordan De Goey is set to round out a career-best season with his first top-five finish in the Magpies’ best-and-fairest.
The decision to move into a full-time midfield berth has reaped rewards for the goalkicker, who has averaged a whopping 28 possessions a game since round 11.
But it hasn’t curbed his scoreboard influence.
De Goey – who signed a two-year deal worth about $750,000 a season last year – has averaged 7.6 score involvements, No. 2 in the league for all midfielders, according to Champion Data.
Former recruiter Matt Rendell has questioned whether De Goey, 26, had the hunger and work rate to fulfil his football potential. But the No. 5 draft pick has enjoyed a sensational purple patch and could seriously challenge defender Jack Crisp for the Copeland Trophy if he can finish strongly in the final three games – against Hawthorn (Launceston), Brisbane (Gabba) and Essendon (MCG).
De Goey leads all Collingwood players for AFL Coaches Association votes, with 50 ahead of Crisp (35), backman Brayden Maynard and onballer Taylor Adams (30) and ruckman Brodie Grundy (27). Injured All-Australian centre half-back Darcy Moore (24), captain Scott Pendlebury (17), veteran full-back Jordan Roughead (6), midfielder Steele Sidebottom (5) and key forward Darcy Cameron (3) round out the top 10.
De Goey was heavily criticised for his round 7 performance, gathering 16 disposals in the loss to Gold Coast, but he began to bounce back strongly, racking up 26 possessions and two goals in the round 11 loss to Geelong.
Since Nathan Buckley stepped away, De Goey has shown he has the weapons to become one of the AFL’s most damaging and powerful midfielders if he can continue to build his fitness in the same vein as Melbourne superstar Christian Petracca.
Caretaker coach Robert Harvey has strongly backed the midfield move, playing De Goey 75 per cent in the middle, compared to only 21 per cent between rounds 1-10.
De Goey on Saturday posted a career-high 34 possessions in the commanding win over West Coast at the MCG, earning another seven coaches votes from Harvey and Eagles’ boss Adam Simpson.
After losing Adam Treloar and Jaidyn Stephenson last year, Collingwood faces another major list management headache next season when De Goey and star defender Moore qualify for restricted free agency after eight years at the club.
That means the Pies can match any offers for the pair in 2022 to force a considerable trade if either player wants to jump ship. De Goey turned down a $1m-a-season godfather offer from North Melbourne after topping the Pies’ goal kicking in 2018 but it would be a surprise if Collingwood offered him a similar deal next year with Grundy already on $950,000 a season.
Collingwood great Michael McGuane told News Corp the Magpies should have seen enough in De Goey’s recent form to re-sign him over summer.
“They’ve got to take De Goey off the market,” McGuane said.
“Get it done now and I’d be doing the same with Darcy (Moore).
“They need to just get them done and not let it drag into next year.”
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